STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The Washington & Jefferson women's basketball team closed the game with the final 11 points to earn a 63-58 victory over Franciscan University of Steubenville Saturday in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game at Finnegan Fieldhouse. 
 
The win is the eighth-straight for the Presidents, who improve to 9-1 overall and stay unbeaten at 7-0 in PAC play. Franciscan drops to 2-7 overall and 1-5 in conference games.
 
The 58 points are the most allowed by the Presidents this season. Franciscan seemed poised to pull the upset behind a strong performance from reigning PAC Player of the Week Madison Doan, who finished with game highs in points (23) and rebounds (14). 
 
A three-point field goal by Jazzlyn Melnyk gave Franciscan a 58-52 lead with just 2:21 to play. However, the Barons never scored again. W&J picked up the urgency on both ends. A full-court press by the Presidents forced Franciscan into turnovers on three consecutive possessions. W&J took advantage and took momentum. A split at the free throw line by junior forward Sarah Berardelli (Ambridge, Pa./North Catholic) and a pair of successful free throws by sophomore guard Adalynn Cherry (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) narrowed the deficit to 58-55 with 1:37 to play. 
 
On the ensuing Franciscan possession, W&J sophomore forward Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) stole the ball and assisted a fast break basket by senior Victoria Koeck (Sidman, Pa./Forest Hills) to trim the Barons' lead to 58-57.
 
Another Barons turnover allowed W&J to gain possession and regain the lead. Cherry drained a jumper with 59 seconds to play to make it 59-58 W&J. The Presidents salted the game away at the line, as sophomore guard Bryn Bezjak (Uniontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin) and Dryburgh converted four free throws in the final minute to nail down the victory. 
 
The Barons built a 36-30 lead just two-plus minutes into the third quarter. Franciscan eventually stretched its lead into double digits when Doan hit a pair of free throws with 3:52 remaining in the third. Koeck helped keep the Presidents in the game with crucial baskets throughout the second half. Koeck tallied 10 points over the final two quarters.
 
A three-point field goal and a layup by Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon McMillan) gave W&J a 15-12 advantage after 10 minutes of play. The Presidents built their lead to as many as seven points in the second quarter when Loutsion drained a three-pointer to make it 22-15 at the 7:28 mark. However, the Barons responded with seven-straight points to even the score. The teams exchanged points from there and entered the locker room tied at 30-30. 

Five Presidents scored in double figures during a balanced attack. Koeck turned in an efficient performance with a team-high 13 points on six-of-10 shooting from the field. Koeck added four assists and three blocks.

Cherry added 12 points while Bezjak finished with 11 markers and four assists. Loutsion was in double figures for a second-straight game with 11 points of her own. 
 
Dryburgh posted another double-double effort with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She also swiped a team-best four steals on the defensive end. 
 
Turnovers played a major factor in the Presidents' ability to prevail in the contest. Franciscan committed double the turnovers that W&J did (26-13). The Red and Black took advantage of that to outscore the Barons by a 27-11 margin in points off turnovers.
 
Franciscan outworked W&J on the glass and posted a 44-32 advantage in rebounding. 
 
Meanwhile, W&J converted 37.5 percent (21-of-56) of its field goals while Franciscan made 34.5 percent (20-of-58). Franciscan held a slim 7-6 edge in made three-pointers.
 
The Presidents, who entered the day as the best free throw shooting team in the PAC, made just 15-of-26 at the line.  

W&J travels to Carnegie Mellon University for a non-conference game on Monday, Dec. 19. The Presidents and Tartans will tip off at 2 p.m.